In this age of micro-trends and the homogenization of certain Instagram aesthetics, it’s tempting to just follow the crowd or amass a checklist of “IYKYK” items in your home that will telegraph your exalted taste (from a USM Haller credenza to a Togo sofa sectional). But before you take the plunge on a buzzy piece from another era, or dive down the rabbit hole of a recent trend, it’s worth doing some soul-searching on whether you’re just playing into an algorithmically significant aesthetic, or actually cultivating an interior design style that speaks to your tastes. There’s also the risk of overdoing a trend: going so hard on a modern Scandi aesthetic that your whole home looks plucked off the pages of a HAY catalog, or getting so into cluttercore that all the excess feels un-curated.
Homan Rajai and Elena Dendiberia—principal designers at San Francisco’s Studio Ahead—emphasize that there’s a big difference between taste (which they explain as “something you accumulate over time through the principles, philosophies, and visuals you resonate with”) versus a trend that’s being presented to you in a moment of time based on popular culture. “To have taste, you’re making decisions about what feels authentic to you and how you want to show up in the world, while with a trend, it’s your choice if you adopt it or not,” they insist.
But Rajai and Dendiberia note that even people who are tacky have taste: “They’re making a decision, that’s a vibe.” But for those aspiring toward a less polarizing look, there are plenty of ways to avoid overdoing an aesthetic, or creating a space that looks like a “copy paste” of your Instagram grid. Here, seven AD PRO Directory members reflect on how to cultivate authenticity in your interior design and lean into trends without losing your individual perspective.
1. Examine your lifestyle and preferences
The first and most important part of the design process is identifying what makes you tick. An interior designer can often help you work through your own personal leanings and preferences, but a lot of that preliminary work can be done alone by reflecting on your own interests and personality. Rajai and Dendiberia say their design practice dedicates a significant portion of each project to exploring these questions with clients—creating “a personal narrative that has more freedom from pressure of social media and invasive marketing of big brands.”
The pair suggest thinking about who the design is serving (e.g., “Who exists in this home?”) and how you prefer to live in the home (e.g., “How do you like to eat in your home? How do you like to sit?”). From there you can do more probing into which philosophies and moments in history you resonate with, what directors you like to watch, and how you like to collect art, they add. “The deeper the exploration into these core personal values goes, the freer you get from being overwhelmed with the visual noise of somebody [else’s] choices.”